Preview: UFC 274 Prelims

Absolutely packed to the gills, UFC 274 features 10 preliminary fights on Saturday at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. There should be plenty of solid action on a card that figures to be fast-paced. Welterweights take center stage when top talents Randy Brown and Kalinn Williams square off in an interesting test for both men. Beyond that, Brazilian favorite Francisco Trinaldo looks to keep some momentum going at 170 pounds against Danny Roberts. A women’s featherweight bout between Macy Chiasson and Norma Dumont may actually have the highest stakes of the bunch, given the lack of potential contenders at 145 pounds, and a flyweight battle between Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell has the potential to provide the most fireworks. Even on the deep prelims, some interesting stuff abounds. Welterweight banger Andre Fialho returns to action on a quick turnaround, and Tracy Cortez faces Melissa Gatto in a pairing between two of the more intriguing prospects in an increasingly deep Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight division.

Now to the preview for the UFC 274 “Oliveira vs. Gaethje” prelims:

Welterweights

NR | Kalinn Williams (13-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. NR | Randy Brown (14-4, 8-4 UFC)

ODDS: Williams (-120), Brown (+100)

Two welterweight prospects potentially on the verge of a breakthrough go at it in this one. “Khaos” Williams came to the UFC in a late-notice spot in early 2020, and it was not a guarantee that he would find his footing inside the Octagon. Williams was a prospect with obvious physical potential, but he did not seem to have much in the way of a reliable skill outside of his knockout power. That was all he needed early on. Williams kicked off his UFC run with knockouts of Alex Morono and Abdul Razak Alhassan in a combined 57 seconds, immediately marking himself as a prospect to watch. Williams’ only UFC loss took place in a December 2020 bout against Michel Pereira and felt more in line with his regional film. Against both the most athletic and dangerous fighter he had faced to date, Williams retreated into a slow and cautious style that just did not get much done over the course of 15 minutes. His 2021 campaign resulted in nice rebounds against Matthew Semelsberger and Miguel Bauez. Against two long and offensively potent opponents, Williams allowed both men to have their moments but came away as the clear victor, winning the clinch in a decision against Semelsberger and hitting the more powerful shots before knocking out Baeza in the third round. Williams looks to prove himself against much the same challenge once again when he takes on Brown.

Born in Massachusetts and raised in Jamaica, Brown came to the UFC in 2016 and while he was a different kind of fighter, he had much the same outlook as Williams upon his signing. “Rude Boy” was an obvious physical talent, but it was unclear what skills past that would carry him to success at the UFC level. Brown has honed his craft over his six-plus years on the roster, but it is still hard to pin down exactly what a Randy Brown fight looks like. Sometimes opponents are cowed by his massive size and reach for the division, but otherwise, it is often up to Brown to deal with his opponents on their own terms. That has managed to work a surprising amount of the time, between Brown’s stinging strikes and underrated submission game, but outside of an impressively locked-in performance against Bryan Barberena in 2019, he has hit a clear ceiling against opponents at a certain level. Brown should win the balance of this fight, but the question centers on whether or not he can do enough to keep Williams consistently at bay, from managing his distance to just hitting Williams hard enough to make the Michigan native a bit tentative. At this point, Williams seems dedicated enough that even in a neutralizing affair he will try and throw some powerful flurries, and one of those seems bound to connect over the course of 15 minutes and send things crumbling quickly for Brown.

FEELY'S PREDICTION: It may not be the best fight for “Khaos” until the point he scores a finish, but the pick is Williams via third-round knockout.

Williams vs. Brown
Trinaldo vs. Roberts
Dumont vs. Chiasson
Royvall vs. Schnell
Ivanov vs. Rogerio de Lima
Fialho vs. VanCamp
Cortez vs. Gatto
Rodrigues vs. Vergara
Godinez vs. Carnelossi
Garcia vs. Newson

Continue Reading » Trinaldo vs. Roberts